220-1102 Operational Procedures Practice Question
A change request to update the firmware on a network switch has been approved by the Change Advisory Board (CAB) and is scheduled for a maintenance window. During the implementation, the technician discovers that the downloaded firmware file is corrupted. The technician has verified that a backup configuration file exists. According to change management best practices, what should the technician do FIRST?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates assume re-downloading the firmware is a simple technical fix, but the exam tests adherence to change management processes where the CAB must approve any change to the implementation plan, even if the fix seems obvious.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Contact the CAB to report the issue and await further instructions
According to change management best practices, once a change is approved and implementation begins, any deviation from the approved plan—such as discovering a corrupted firmware file—must be reported to the Change Advisory Board (CAB) before proceeding. The technician should not take unilateral action (like re-downloading the firmware) because the CAB must assess the risk, approve any new download source, and potentially reschedule the change to ensure the integrity of the firmware and the safety of the network switch. This preserves the audit trail and prevents unauthorized changes that could violate compliance or security policies.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Download the firmware file again and proceed with the update
Why it's wrong here
Simply re-downloading the same firmware file does not resolve the underlying reason the update failed, and more importantly, the technician has no authority to continue without CAB approval. The change management plan was approved for a specific window and procedure; any retry, new file source, or altered step is a deviation. The correct action is to stop and refer the decision back to the CAB for evaluation rather than assume a fresh download will be safe.
- ✓
Contact the CAB to report the issue and await further instructions
Why this is correct
The CAB is the governing body for the change, so the technician must immediately stop work and report the failed download so the board can reassess the situation. The CAB may decide to extend the maintenance window, authorize a different firmware source, reopen the change request, or invoke the rollback plan. Awaiting explicit instructions preserves auditability and prevents an undocumented deviation that could violate change policy and create network risk.
- ✗
Use a backup firmware image from a different switch to complete the update
Why it's wrong here
A backup image copied from a different switch is not part of the approved change plan and may be a different hardware revision, feature set, or vendor build that is not compatible with this switch model. Loading unapproved firmware could destabilize the network stack and violate the change request's scope, potentially causing an outage that the CAB never evaluated. The technician must not substitute assets or software versions without authorization.
- ✗
Update the change request to note the issue and proceed with the remaining steps
Why it's wrong here
Merely adding a note to the change request and pressing forward treats the failed download as a minor detail, but it is actually a critical deviation from the approved implementation steps. Change management requires that all material deviations be reviewed by the CAB before any further action, because the board must assess risk, impact, and rollback options. Proceeding on a self-determined workaround invalidates the formal approval and leaves the organization exposed if the unapproved action fails.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Audit Logging and Review
Key term
Audit trail
An audit trail is a chronological record of events, changes, or activities in a system that provides evidence of who did what, when, and from where.
Key term
General Data Protection Regulation
A European Union law that gives individuals control over their personal data and sets strict rules for how organizations collect, store, and process that data.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This 220-1102 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the 220-1102 exam.